It’s not a new book, but I highly recommend “Charcuterie” by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn. The only thing that could have made it better is to title it “Salumi”. I don’t even know how to pronounce “Charcuterie”. I personally do not think the French have advanced the art. Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.

I just came off michael’s book Reach of a chef (great reading and I even learned a word or two) and ran right into Juliette Rossant’s book Superchef, which highlights some important chefs of our time, or so i thought. friday she calls todd english ‘a liar’ (my quote) because in all she wrote of him she never knew his french cooking background?! So does he or doesn’t he?

I am reading “The Last Chinese Chef” right now. Really good. Read Marco Pierre White’s book “Devil in the Kitchen.” It was interesting and lastly I have a copy of Madhar Jaffrey’s book “Climbing the Mango Trees.” and I am really enjoying that too.

I wouldn’t know nuthin’ ’bout the CIA (I’m a Cordon Bleu girl myself) but there surely was alot of a lovin’ and a’suckin’ up at my branch of the CB — much of it between the (male)Chef Instructors and (girl)students.

Now I’m not sayin’ that it was all consummated, or even requited — but if’n you were cute enough (in Chef’s eyes) it sure didn’t hurt your grades!

am reading the sharper your knife now, it’s good and engaging, but a little girlie for me–too much romance and tears, but will appeal to others for exactly same reason–tuscun sun goes to cooking school.

A friend at a bookstore lent me a galley of Sharper Your Knife because I’m starting at Cordon Bleu in Paris this fall. I LOVED it. It is very funny, touching and I read it straight through in two days. It has recipes in each chapter and I am making the lamb and white beans recipe from the “silence of the lamb” chapter this weekend. I am reading The Soul of a Chef next.

Reply to Don Luis (May 26, 2007 at 06:52 AM):
Your cursory reading is all off: Ms. Rossant was tweaking Todd’s nose (the subject of the second chapter of her book, Super Chef) because of course he had never studied or worked in France according to the extensive life story he recounted to her — though he was claiming so for the new hotel restaurant. Re-read the article ” FOOD FLICKS: Todd English Fakes French ‘Riche'” (http://www.superchefblog.com/2007/05/food-flicks-todd-english-fakes-french.html) and watch the video. Oh, and read the book, Super Chef, for that chapter on Todd!